Two bills amounting to nothing less than an extermination campaign against bison are making their way through the Montana state legislature. If these bills pass, it could be disastrous to our efforts to return bison to their historic habitat. Two more anti-bison bills are on their way this week, and up to six more are being drafted. We're pulling out all the stops to defeat these bills and we need your help. Please donate today to save bison and other imperiled wildlife. Among their deadly provisions, these bills:

Would prohibit reintroduction of wild bison into Montana. This ban would include future reintroductions at the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, the site of last year’s historic return of genetically pure bison to the Great Plains after more than a century; Would establish a year-round hunting season for bison, with virtually no limitations; Would authorize private landowners to shoot on sight any bison that wandered onto their property;Would order state officials to exterminate or move any wild bison that migrate into Montana. It's been nearly a year since the historic return of 61 genetically pure Yellowstone bison to the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, marking the first reintroduction of Yellowstone bison to the Great Plains. As some of the only remaining genetically pure bison, and the only continuously wild herd in the country, Yellowstone bison are essential to the species' recovery.

Now, these Montana bills have the potential to end future bison success stories, such as the planned reintroduction of Yellowstone bison to the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in Montana. And they're an insult to Native American tribes who have worked hard to return wild bison to their rightful place in the American landscape. Working Overtime to Protect and Restore Bison . Defenders of Wildlife is leading efforts in Montana and in Washington, DC to give bison, wolves and endangered wildlife the crucial protection they need to recover.

In the Northern Rockies, our field representatives are working directly with forward-looking state officials to speak up for responsible wildlife management policies. Defenders is working alongside tribal bison managers and councils to restore wild bison to tribal lands, as well as organizing the pro-bison citizens of Montana and encouraging them to speak out on behalf of bison, wolves and other Montana wildlife.Please help us continue this important work in defense of Montana's bison and endangered wildlife across the country.

Two bills amounting to nothing less than an extermination campaign against Montana's bison are making their way through the state legislature. If these bills pass, it could be disastrous to our efforts to return bison to their historic habitat.

We're pulling out all the stops to defeat these bills and we need your help. Defenders is working alongside tribal bison managers and councils to restore wild bison to tribal lands, as well as organizing the pro-bison citizens of Montana and encouraging them to speak out on behalf of bison, wolves and other Montana wildlife.

Please donate today to help us defend bison in the northern Rockies — and protect the wildlife and special place you care about.

Just making sure you saw this urgent message. A slew of anti-bison bills are making their way through the Montana state legislature. These bills could be disastrous to our efforts to return bison to their historic habitat. We need your help!

Please donate today to help us continue our important work in defense of Montana's bison.

Are bison wildlife or vermin? In Montana, it's up for debate.

Two bills amounting to nothing less than an extermination campaign against bison are making their way through the Montana state legislature. If these bills pass, it could be disastrous to our efforts to return bison to their historic habitat.

Two more anti-bison bills are on their way this week, and up to six more are being drafted.

We're pulling out all the stops to defeat these bills and we need your help. Please donate today to save bison and other imperiled wildlife.

Among their deadly provisions, these bills:

Would prohibit reintroduction of wild bison into Montana. This ban would include future reintroductions at the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, the site of last year’s historic return of genetically pure bison to the Great Plains after more than a century;Would establish a year-round hunting season for bison, with virtually no limitations;Would authorize private landowners to shoot on sight any bison that wandered onto their property;Would order state officials to exterminate or move any wild bison that migrate into Montana.It's been nearly a year since the historic return of 61 genetically pure Yellowstone bison to the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, marking the first reintroduction of Yellowstone bison to the Great Plains. As some of the only remaining genetically pure bison, and the only continuously wild herd in the country, Yellowstone bison are essential to the species' recovery.

Now, these Montana bills have the potential to end future bison success stories, such as the planned reintroduction of Yellowstone bison to the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in Montana. And they're an insult to Native American tribes who have worked hard to return wild bison to their rightful place in the American landscape.

Working Overtime to Protect and Restore Bison

Defenders of Wildlife is leading efforts in Montana and in Washington, DC to give bison, wolves and endangered wildlife the crucial protection they need to recover.

In the Northern Rockies, our field representatives are working directly with forward-looking state officials to speak up for responsible wildlife management policies. Defenders is working alongside tribal bison managers and councils to restore wild bison to tribal lands, as well as organizing the pro-bison citizens of Montana and encouraging them to speak out on behalf of bison, wolves and other Montana wildlife.

Please help us continue this important work in defense of Montana's bison and endangered wildlife across the country.

Help stave off this cruel assault on bison recovery. This is a critical moment for bison, these bills have the potential to end future bison success stories. Please donate today to support our efforts to protect America's iconic wild creatures. It’s the latest threat to wild bison conservation. All we have worked for could be severely compromised if a batch of bad bison bills passes through Montana’s state legislature. Some of Montana’s most extreme anti-wildlife legislators are attempting to make restoration of wild bison to the Great Plains nearly impossible. We are pulling out all the stops to defeat these anti-bison attacks. Please help with an emergency donation to support our wild bison restoration efforts – and save other wildlife in danger.

A Massive Assault on Bison

The worst of the bills, SB 143, would:

Order Montana officials to "immediately" kill or remove all wild bison migrating into Montana;Prohibit wild bison relocation anywhere in Montana except to the National Bison Range - where wild bison are already located;Establish a bison hunt "statewide and at any time of the year;" and Allow landowners to shoot wild bison on private land.To add insult to injury:

SB 256 would make Montana’s wildlife agency liable for any property damage from wild bison, a precedent meant to financially prohibit bison restoration;SB 341 would require Montana’s wildlife agency to navigate a massive list of additional hurdles prior to relocation of any wildlife species and prohibit relocation if the species could impact livestock grazing, clearly intended to prevent bison relocation; and HB 396 would attempt to give county commissioners veto power over bison restoration within their counties - even on tribal lands and our federal public lands.

Our Plan for Bison

Defenders of Wildlife’s Rockies and Plains team is working overtime to turn back this cruel assault on bison recovery. We’re working with a diverse coalition of tribes and conservation organizations to testify against these bills and mobilize opposition; we’re getting word out to the media to bring attention to these bills; and we’re organizing Montanans to show up at the Montana capitol, make phone calls and send emails to exert grassroots pressure on legislators and the governor. Our efforts are beginning to pay off. Three of the eight anti-bison bills are now dead. But five more remain a threat to wild bison in Montana -- and we need your help more than ever to continue this critical work. Last year, we helped relocate 61 pure wild bison from Yellowstone National Park to the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. It was the start of an historic effort to restore Yellowstone bison to key places in the Great Plains – an effort that is now in jeopardy, unless we can turn back this latest assault. Please help today!

If these bills pass, it could be disastrous to our efforts to return bison to their historic habitat. Some of Montana’s most extreme anti-wildlife legislators are attempting to make restoration of wild bison to the Great Plains nearly impossible.

Our Rockies and Plains team is working overtime to turn back this cruel assault on bison recovery.

Please donate now to support our emergency efforts to keep bison conservation alive -- and protect the wildlife and special places you care about.

It’s the latest threat to wild bison conservation. All we have worked for could be severely compromised if a batch of bad bison bills passes through Montana’s state legislature. Some of Montana’s most extreme anti-wildlife legislators are attempting to make restoration of wild bison to the Great Plains nearly impossible. We are pulling out all the stops to defeat these anti-bison attacks. Please help with an emergency donation to support our wild bison restoration efforts – and save other wildlife in danger. A Massive Assault on Bison

The worst of the bills, SB 143, would:

Order Montana officials to "immediately" kill or remove all wild bison migrating into Montana;Prohibit wild bison relocation anywhere in Montana except to the National Bison Range - where wild bison are already located;Establish a bison hunt "statewide and at any time of the year;" and Allow landowners to shoot wild bison on private land.To add insult to injury:

SB 256 would make Montana’s wildlife agency liable for any property damage from wild bison, a precedent meant to financially prohibit bison restoration;SB 341 would require Montana’s wildlife agency to navigate a massive list of additional hurdles prior to relocation of any wildlife species and prohibit relocation if the species could impact livestock grazing, clearly intended to prevent bison relocation; andHB 396 would attempt to give county commissioners veto power over bison restoration within their counties - even on tribal lands and our federal public lands.

Our Plan for Bison

Defenders of Wildlife’s Rockies and Plains team is working overtime to turn back this cruel assault on bison recovery.

We’re working with a diverse coalition of tribes and conservation organizations to testify against these bills and mobilize opposition; we’re getting word out to the media to bring attention to these bills; and we’re organizing Montanans to show up at the Montana capitol, make phone calls and send emails to exert grassroots pressure on legislators and the governor. Our efforts are beginning to pay off. Three of the eight anti-bison bills are now dead. But five more remain a threat to wild bison in Montana -- and we need your help more than ever to continue this critical work. Last year, we helped relocate 61 pure wild bison from Yellowstone National Park to the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. It was the start of an historic effort to restore Yellowstone bison to key places in the Great Plains – an effort that is now in jeopardy, unless we can turn back this latest assault. Please help today!

BASIC FACTS ABOUT BISONBison are considered a keystone species: they once roamed the continent in great herds, and their grazing pressure helped shape the ecology of the Great Plains.

Bison mainly eat grasses and sedges.PopulationDid You Know?

The trails carved by animals like bison and deer in their seasonal migrations formed some of the earliest traceable paths into the American wildnerness, and were followed by Native Americans, explorers and pioneers. Historically, bison numbered an estimated 20-30 million. Unregulated shooting of bison, which culminated in mass slaughters during the 1870s, reduced the population to 1,091 in 1889. Today, approximately 500,000 bison live across North America. Most are not pure bison but rather have been cross-bred with cattle in the past and are raised as livestock on ranches. Fewer than 30,000 bison are in conservation herds, and fewer than 5,000 are free-ranging and disease-free.

Range

Bison once roamed across much of North America. Today bison are ecologically extinct throughout most of their historic range, except for a few national parks and other small wildlife areas. Yellowstone National Park has the largest population of free-roaming plains bison (about 4,000), and Wood Buffalo National Park has the largest population of free-roaming wood bison (about 10,000).

Behavior

A bison's thick fur offers great protection against the harsh elements of the American plains. Their winter coat is so thick and well insulated that snow can cover their backs without melting. Bison move continuously as they eat so that they rarely overgraze an area. They historically roamed great distances. The females, or cows, lead family groups. Bulls remain solitary or in small groups for most of the year, but rejoin the group during mating season. Bison often rub, roll and wallow. Wallowing creates a saucer-like depression called a wallow. This was once a common feature of the plains; usually these wallows are dust bowls without any vegetation. In winter, bison can dig through deep snow with their heads to reach the vegetation below. Bison have poor eyesight, but have acute hearing and an excellent sense of smell. They can reach speeds of up to 35 mph.